Stanford Set To Host The Pac-10 Women's Golf Championships

Stanford To Host The Pac-10 Championships Stanford University is set to host the 2009 Pac-10 Women's Golf Championships from the Stanford Golf Course on April 24-26. The Cardinal will play host to the nine other schools as they compete for the conference title in perhaps the most competitive conference in the nation. The first two rounds will begin at 8:30 am, while the final round on Sunday will begin at 7:30 am.

The Cardinal last hosted the championships in 1999, which was also the last time Stanford won the Pac-10 title. That year, Stanford was led by conference runner-up Hilary Homeyer, who finished with a three-day total of 3-over-par 216. The Cardinal finished the tournament at 24-over-par 876 to take the title.

This season, several of the nation's top teams will be vying for the Pac-10 title with Arizona State, UCLA and USC currently ranked as the top three teams in the nation. In addition, Stanford and California are ranked inside the top 25. All 10 teams have been very competitive this season, making for spirited competition for the Pac-10 title.

Individually, several golfers have had strong seasons and should be in contention. Golfweek Magazine currently has five of the top six individuals in the nation ranked from the Pac-10. These golfers include Lizette Salas and Jennifer Song of USC, Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Munoz of Arizona State, and Stephanie Kono of UCLA. Other potential impact golfers are Belen Mozo of USC, Tiffany Joh of UCLA, Pia Halbig of Cal and Mari Chun of Stanford.

Last Season at the Pac-10 ChampionshipsLast season, USC hosted the Pac-10 Championships, winning the title at the Palos Verdes Golf Club. The Trojans finished with a total of 8-over-par 860, led by individual medalist Paolo Moreno. Stanford finished with a score of 61-over-par 913 to tie for sixth place. They were led by Caterina Wang who finished tied for 10th. The top returning golfer for Stanford is Mari Chun who tied for 22nd in 2008.

The PING/ASU InvitationalThe Cardinal finished in a tie for 10th place at the PING/ASU Invitational from the Karesten ASU Golf Course. Stanford completed a final round of 19-over-par 307 for a three-day total of 53-over-par 917. Stanford was led by freshman Sydney Burlison who tied for 11th place at 7-over-par 223. Burlison fired a round of 73 on Sunday to just miss climbing into the top-10 by one stroke. It would have been the first top-10 of the season for Burlison. Oklahoma State went on to win the tournament with a score of 17-over-par 881.

The Kent Youel InvitationalStanford women's golf completed the Kent Youel Invitational in sixth place. The Cardinal shot a three-round total of 22-over-par 886 to finish 19 strokes behind San Francisco who won the tournament with a score of 3-over-par 867. The Cardinal were led by Mari Chun who overcame a tough first round to shoot an even-par 216. Playing in her home state of Hawai'i, Chun finished with a 2-under-par round of 70 to climb into a tie for fifth place.

The Stanford IntercollegiateStanford finished third at the Stanford Intercollegiate in a field that included five top-10 teams. Playing at home at the Stanford Golf Course the Cardinal defeated three top-10 teams to raise their national ranking from No. 19 to No. 14. The Cardinal finished with a score of 5-over-par 857. They were led by Rebecca Durham who finished ninth with score of 1-under-par 212.

Stanford Wins the Edean Ihlanfeldt InvitationalThe Cardinal got their first tournament win of the season when they captured the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational from the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash on Oct. 6-8. Stanford shot a combined score of 41-over-par 905 to best second-place Oregon by 16 strokes. In all, Stanford took down five Pac-10 schools in the 13 team field. The Cardinal got great play from senior Mari Chun, who took the individual medalist honors. Her score of 2-over-par 218 was good for a four stroke margain of victory.

The Mason Rudolph Women's InvitationalOn Sept. 26-28, the Cardinal competed against a loaded field, finishing 15th with a three-round total of 43-over-par 907. Sydney Burlison led the way for Stanford with a three-day total of 5-over-par 221, which tied her for 21st place overall. Fellow freshman, Lila Barton also played well, shooting a three-day total of 8-over-par 224 to tie for 39th.

Back From ScotlandThe Cardinal have returned from their memorable preseason trip to Scotland where they played many of the world's top courses during their journey though the birthplace of golf. The Cardinal played seven renowned courses over the ten day trip, including the New Course at Saint Andrews, the Alisa Course at Turnberry, Prestwick, and Kingsbarns Golf Links.

Scouting the 2008-09 CardinalUpper ClassmanSenior, Mari Chun returns as a NGCA All-America honorable mention who led the Cardinal in 2007-08 with a 74.1 scoring average and four top-10's. Also returning is junior Angela King who was the lone Stanford qualifier for the 2008 NCAA Championships. King placed tied for 11th at the West Regional Championships to qualify as an individual for the NCAA Championships, where she placed tied for 75th. The final returning upper-classman is senior Ki-Shui Liao who competed in eight tournaments for Stanford last season and posted a 79.1 scoring average.

Super SophomoresThe Cardinal have a pair of sophomores who return to The Farm after making an immediate impact during their freshman year. Rebecca Durham was third on the team last season with a 76.6 scoring average and joins Chun and King as the only returners with a top-10 finish last season. Piper Miller also returns after representing Stanford at the Pac-10 Championships and the NCAA West Regional as a freshman.

Fab FreshmenThe Cardinal welcome of pair of highly touted freshmen to The Farm. Lila Barton comes to Stanford from Dallas, TX where she was a high school state champion and has international experience as a member of the 2005 Junior Solheim Cup team for the United States. Also joining Stanford for her freshman season is Sydney Burlison of Salinas, CA. Barton is the 2008 CCS individual medalist and has a wealth of international experience for the United States in the Junior Solheim Cup and Canon Cup.

Head Coach Caroline O'ConnorStanford head coach Caroline O'Connor returns for her 14th season as the head coach of the women's golf team. She has led the Cardinal to a Pac-10 Championship in 1999, a share of a Regional Title in 2007, and six top-10 national finishes.